A complaint to the Medical Council against doctors in the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, is likely to be made shortly, alleging they have broken its guidelines by freezing zygotes, the initial forms of human life.
Mr John O'Reilly of the ProLife Campaign told The Irish Times: "We are very concerned about it." He referred to a report in the Irish Medical Times that the hospital's infertility programme involved freezing zygotes. He said he understood those not used would be destroyed. Zygotes are the first stage of development of a fertilised egg.
Asked if the Pro-Life Campaign would be referring the matter to the Medical Council he said: "I prefer not to say. It's being actively considered in a number of quarters."
Asked if it could be said that a complaint was being considered by people linked to the PLC, he said: "I know a lot of people not formally linked to the PLC are concerned about it. I prefer not to comment on it."
The practice of freezing zygotes was introduced by the Human Assisted Reproduction (Ireland) programme in the Rotunda about two months ago. It is part of the in vitro method of dealing with infertility, whereby eggs are extracted from the woman, fertilised by her husband outside the womb and replaced in her body.
According to the Master of the Rotunda, Dr Peter McKenna, the hospital decided to introduce freezing to be able to avoid placing surplus fertilised eggs in the woman's cervix, where they cannot survive, and to reduce the number of times a woman had to undergo the harrowing process of egg extraction.
Mr O'Reilly drew attention to the fact that couples involved agree that, if the zygotes are not implanted within five years, or before the woman reaches the age of 45, they will be "thawed without transfer", meaning destroyed.
This, he said, ran counter to the Medical Council guidelines which specified that all fertilised eggs should be implanted.
The Medical Council is at present revising its ethical guidelines, and this revision is likely to include IVF.